Hyderabad: The annual feast of Shrine of Our Lady of Health of September 8 will kickstart with a flag hoisting ceremony on Thursday at Khairatabad. It will be followed by a Pontifical High Mass conducted by Most Rev. Dr Karnam Dhaman Kumar, Bishop of Nalgonda.
However, parishioners are troubled by garbage being dumped in front of the church's main entrance. People living near the church are reportedly disposing of their waste in this area daily. Despite repeated appeals to civic authorities and temporary clean-ups, the garbage continues to accumulate.
Fr Michael Selvaraj, rector and parish priest, added, “With the upcoming feast being one of the largest events of the church, the sight and smell of garbage as people enter the church is distressing. We urge the authorities to take special measures to prevent further dumping and maintain the dignity of this sacred place.”
Churchgoers, who attend daily Mass both morning and evening, are frustrated with the unpleasant odour. Earlier, a garbage can provided by the GHMC was installed at the site but was later removed following a request from the church. Since then, the dumping has resumed despite efforts by both the church and civic authorities to address the problem.
Philomena Days, a resident of Maredpally, who attends the church there, called for a permanent solution, stating, “This is a holy place. People should understand that and stop dumping garbage here. This issue has persisted for ages and needs to be resolved.”
